I got this for christmas, and so far I've made the pastichio and the daikon star anise pickles (planning to make the bahn mi sandwiches this weekend). I liked the pastichio. The best part was the silken tofu/cashew cream on top, will use that in other stuff too. I bet it would be great in lasagna! I finished the pastichio in four days and it only got better with every day.

I'm very excited to continue cooking from this book, and challenge myself with stuff I've never tried before.

I think many of the recipes are weeknight-friendly if you prepare some of the ingredients the day before. E.g. the Massaman curry in my opinion isn't that involved if you have the tofu ready. Similarly, if you use canned beans or prepare them beforehand, the beans recipes shouldn't take that long. The one that comes to mind is the coconut black-eyed pea curry, which I've made twice already, because it's easy to make and delicious (I make it with half black-eyed peas, half kidney beans).

my cookbook arrived yesterday. i haven't had tons of time to look through it but it is a definite keeper. i should give VEW a good hug since i was all wishy washy about buying it, mostly out of concern of expensive specialty ingredients, but i see that there are plenty of "normal" recipes and, as for the others that are more "exotic" i think (i hope!) i'll be able to buy a lot of the spices from the bulk bins at earth fare. and of course, we have a few ethnic grocery stores (asian, a middle eastern one, and some hispanic ones) in town that will hopefully have some of the specialty items i may need, although i don't even know what they are yet since i haven't really dug through the book yet ;)

however, after a quick glance, i adore VEW and can't wait to start using it. the index, as someone else mentioned, does leave a lot to be desired, but the table of contents is organized beautifully so that makes up for it ;)

i'll make some time to read this entire thread so i can get some ideas of what would be some good dishes to start with. i also like how in the back she has some menus. and i do like, at least on the few recipes i looked at, that she thankfully suggests other recipes that would be good pairings.

_________________"....but I finally found block tempeh a few weeks ago with the intent to give it my virginity." -Moon

I wish Amazon had a "look inside" feature for this book. Reviews are really helpful, of course, but I like to see a bit of a book before buying.

I bet there will be one soon, if not on Amazon then on Barnes & Noble's website or on Google Books. It has only just come out!

I'm sure you've bought it by now, I'm only now going through all the pages in this thread since my book just arrived yesterday. I was on the fence about buying this book and now I'm kicking myself for not buying it sooner. If I could hold hands with this cookbook and run through a field of flowers with it, singing, I would! This really can be an everyday cookbook and yes there are some speciality items but I don't think I'll have problems finding them locally. There are tons of recipes that are use standard ingredients.

_________________"....but I finally found block tempeh a few weeks ago with the intent to give it my virginity." -Moon

I realize that this is vague, but I'm really just looking for general suggestions, not anything tied to a specific recipe, but I might be able to swing a Trader Joes trip after work today, if traffic behaves.

Can anything think of a few useful ingredients to pick up there (for VEW). As long as they are cheap and shelf stable, I don't mind picking things up to have. I know TJ has a lot of different things around the store, but one problem is this will really be a hit and run visit without an hour to browse (traffic...).

Thanks!

_________________"This is the creepiest post ever if you don't know who Molly is." -Fee"a vegan death match sounds like something where we all end up hugging." -LisaPunk

Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:51 amPosts: 8123Location: United States of New England

OH. MY. GOD.we made the massaman curry last.

*drools all over self thinking of the memory of it*

IT WAS SO GOOD

i made the tofu a couple days a head of time (and burnt the shiitake out of my pan but the tofu was ok) and then we made the whole thing last night.

i was really REALLY wary of the curry paste you make since it's basically a shiitake ton of shallots and some spices. i even poked my finger into it and tasted just a tiny bit. i knew it wouldnt taste good but i almost puked cause it was like ONION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and then it was SO MUCH MORE curry paste than any other curry paste ive ever used out of a jar but damn. it all turned out AMAZING.

automatically one of my favorite recipes now. i have some leftovers for lunch. YUM!!!

Man, now I feel bad for thinking the massaman was just okay. What is wrong with me?

Ha! I think the massaman's secret is the 5-spice powder - maybe yours was off somehow? Or it's just not your thing... By the way, has anyone made both the green beans and the broccoli version? I've only made the green beans one so far (twice!) and I LOOOOOVE it, so I'm not sure if I'll ever branch out to the broccoli one. I'm a bit scared I won't like it as much. Thoughts? Also, I can never be bothered to make a real curry paste, I just chop the onions (I sub onions for the shallots) and garlic really small and skip the food processor step. ;)

lavawitch wrote:

Can anything think of a few useful ingredients to pick up there (for VEW). As long as they are cheap and shelf stable, I don't mind picking things up to have. I know TJ has a lot of different things around the store, but one problem is this will really be a hit and run visit without an hour to browse (traffic...).

I don't know if these kinds of things are available at TJ, but I would pick up the Thai soy sauces if you can. Those are used for many of the noodle recipes, so it's definitely a good idea to get them soon. Maybe just take a look at the ingredients section in the front of the book and get some of the things mentioned there. Different kinds of Asian noodles etc. Oh, and get some aji amarillo paste if you can get it - I'm not sure if it's used for anything else apart from the Andean Aji Bean Stew, but it's lovely! (And you can always use it to make the potatoes with cheezy sauce from Viva Vegan!)

I realize that this is vague, but I'm really just looking for general suggestions, not anything tied to a specific recipe, but I might be able to swing a Trader Joes trip after work today, if traffic behaves.

Can anything think of a few useful ingredients to pick up there (for VEW). As long as they are cheap and shelf stable, I don't mind picking things up to have. I know TJ has a lot of different things around the store, but one problem is this will really be a hit and run visit without an hour to browse (traffic...).

Thanks!

Well, you could definitely pick up some tofu, for all those amazeballs tofu recipes in the book. Hmm, let's see what else. Sesame oil? Red lentils, rice, beans? Ooh, they have fresh rice noodles in the fridge case now, and I used those for the Pad See Ew in the book, and it was quite yum! Oh, pick up some coconut milk, that way you'll always have it on hand for the curries. Frozen veggies, such as peas and corn? I hope I'm helping!

And bookwormbethie, I keep picturing this frolicking through a field with the book and cracking up, so thanks for that image!!

do y'all think i could sub sunflower seed butter for the peanut butter the massaman calls for? i'm allergic to all nuts.

It would still be creamy, just wouldn't taste like peanut butter. I may do that next time, so let us know how it goes if you try it. I'm technically allergic to peanuts but eat them anyway sometimes, because I'm a masochist and they're delicious.

do y'all think i could sub sunflower seed butter for the peanut butter the massaman calls for? i'm allergic to all nuts.

It would still be creamy, just wouldn't taste like peanut butter. I may do that next time, so let us know how it goes if you try it. I'm technically allergic to peanuts but eat them anyway sometimes, because I'm a masochist and they're delicious.

i only developed allergies to all nuts last april. to me, sunflower seed butter is a miracle. to my palate, it tastes nearly identical to peanut butter, or maybe i've just brainwashed myself to think that since i miss my PB;)

i know this is a bit off topic, but do you experience discomfort when you eat peanuts? you couldn't make me eat peanuts for a million dollars. i felt soooo awful when i did, definitely not full anapholatic shock, but so much chest pressure and my throat would tighten up :( i could still breathe, but i felt awful.

anyway, i'll definitely let you know how it comes out. one of my resolutions this year is to do more menu planning, so earlier this week i did a 2 week plan, knowing me and my anal, uh i mean organized personality, i'm most likely not going to deviate from the menu plan, especially since i've already purchased some perishables that need to be consumed. so it may be a little bit before i make the massman, but i definitely want to make it and use sunflower seed butter. seems like this dish is a favorite of lots of people and the ingredients are "normal."

_________________"....but I finally found block tempeh a few weeks ago with the intent to give it my virginity." -Moon

Man, now I feel bad for thinking the massaman was just okay. What is wrong with me?

so you didnt have a religious experience???? ;-)

No!

Among other things, I was so confused by the instruction to throw in the cherry tomatoes at the end... am I the only person who thinks adding raw cherry tomatoes to a curry is incredibly odd and unappetizing?

But I'm glad other people are having orgasmic experiences with it! I just wanted to have one too... oh well, the yassa tofu really did it for me:o)